Fire guts house in far east Lawrence

A house in far east Lawrence sustained heavy structural damage in a fire Saturday night.

The house at 1201 Prospect Ave. was owned by Eric Schweppe, county records showed.

Dispatchers received a fire call at 9:45 p.m. Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical Deputy Chief Mark Bradford said that when firefighters arrived, flames were shooting through the building. Firefighters had the blaze under control shortly after 10 p.m.

The heavy damage initially kept firefighters from going into the house and beginning their investigation into the fire’s cause, Bradford said, but Schweppe had told him no one was in the building at the time of the fire.

Bradford said Schweppe also ran a foundry, a metal-working shop, out of the residence.

Schweppe could not be reached for comment, and damage estimates were not available late Saturday.

Gallery walk to benefit art education in schools

Downtown art galleries will display local works from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at the Gallery Walk.

The Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.; Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt.; Fields Gallery, 712 Mass.; Silver Works and More, 715 Mass.; Signs of Life, 722 Mass.; and Southwest and More, 727 Mass.; will participate in the event. A percentage of the proceeds from art sold during the walk will be donated to the Lawrence Schools Foundation to supplement art education.

Biology researchers to convene at KU

About 200 scientists who study corals, jellyfish and other ocean invertebrates will be at Kansas University this week for the annual International Conference on Coelenterate Biology.

This is the first time the conference, in its seventh year, has been convened in the United States. It runs today through Friday.

The conference includes a meeting of the International Society for Reef Studies, which will involve presentations about the status of the earth’s coral reefs.

For more information, visit web.nhm.ku.edu/inverts/iccb.

KU professor on panel to discuss poet’s life

Maryemma Graham, professor of English at Kansas University, will be among the panelists discussing poet Margaret Walker Alexander’s life this weekend at Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss.

Graham, author of “Conversations with Margaret Walker,” will join Jerry Ward of Dillard University and Noel Polk of University of Southern Mississippi on the panel. They will discuss Alexander and her works, such as “For My People.”

Kansas wheat harvest up from last year

Topeka — They may sing about waving wheat in “Oklahoma,” but Kansas has it in abundance.

Kansas’ wheat harvest will be 426 million bushels, up 60 percent from last year, according to agricultural officials who said yields were much improved from last year because of recent rains.

Some farmers have had wheat head army worm damage, especially in the western third of the state. Kansas Agricultural Secretary Adrian Polansky has met with several farmer groups to work on the problem.

Kansas is the leading wheat producer in the U.S., turning out nearly a fifth of the nation’s wheat. During an average year, Kansas farmers will produce about 400 million bushels. The record harvest occurred in 1997, with 501.4 million bushels.

Workshop to help people begin financial planning

Consumer Credit Counseling Services will present the “Discover More Dollars” workshop from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. July 14 at the United Way Building, 2518 Ridge Court.

The workshop is designed to help participants improve their financial status through preparation and planning. Topics covered include financial goal setting, developing a budget, cutting costs, evaluating spending habits and starting a savings plan.

The workshop is free, but reservations are requested. To reserve a spot, call 749-4224, ext. 369. Classes are sponsored by the United Way of Douglas County and presented by a division of Housing & Credit Counseling Inc.